wednesday ramblings. by orange

this week has been a bit crazy.  thus a few odds and ends from me.

1. the husband sent me this you tube video today in an email with the email subject being "let's do this in 60 years"





2. i'm currently obsessed with this song.  love that it mentions Seattle



3.  going skiing this weekend - can't wait!!!

4.  tomorrow is my friday - woo hoo!


what song, video, thing is inspiring you at the moment?  what are you looking forward to?

xo, orange in grey seychelles glitter heels

The Fever. by violet

I love the Olympics. Actually, I lurv them. Every two years, I’m stuck on the couch for two weeks with my heart in my throat for athletes from around the world. Is it cheesy? Of course. Do I follow most of these sports during any other time? No. But there I am on watching of all things the biathlon which, by the way, was utterly fascinating. The commentators were hilarious, Oh that’s two misses for the Swede, he is out of the race. This is unbelievable!

Photo from BBC

I love that shuffle board on ice, also known as curling, is an Olympic sport. I’m not putting it down, clearly it involves skill and strategy, and it is a throwback to another time when people who lived in ridiculously cold climates needed to find a way to pass the time.

Photo from New Jersey Star Ledger

I know, a lot of other people don’t like them but I love the profiles, stories about how athletes got started and what motivated them – tragic loss, bone-crushing injuries and lost family members.

I love Lindsay, Apollo, Shani, Bode and Johnny.

Photo from Time

I love the Chinese couple Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo who came out of retirement to win the gold in pair’s figure skating.

From USA Today

 I love that team USA beat the Canadians in ice hockey.

From Reuters

I love Vancouver. I want to go back as soon as humanly possible. I want a pair of those mittens that everyone is rocking (which can be mine for $20.00 on eBay – I’m seriously thinking about it).

Photo from eBay

For a long time I was ashamed of my Olympic addiction. But I’ve decided not to hide anymore. And even though Seattle is going through a heat wave in February, I’m glued to my television. And damn proud too.

USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!

Violet, in Saucony ProGrid Ride 2 in white/black/coral

it's a slow monday. by orange

sorry ladies and gents for the delayed monday morning post.  it's been a rougher than usual monday morning.  due to the following (i think):

1. still tired from the weekend of guests, fun and Jersey Shore Par-Tay (pics to come soon!)
2. it's Monday, they are always rough to some degree
3. worked from home on Friday which takes me a bit out of my "work" element - thus really "getting back to reality" today.
4. needed two lattes this morning and i'm still sleepy.  where's my 5 hour energy when i need it?!
5. it's so damn nice outside - makes working inside incredibly dull

so, to inspire me this morning, the husband sent me a fantastic link which i would like to share with all of you.  it's a website called "Direct Current Music" - i had not heard/seen it before but am definitely going to be adding it to my favorites. 

most of you know, i heart Greg Laswell - big time.  if you don't know this about me, check out here, here and here.

well, this link that the husband sent me, included one of his new songs due out on an Album titled "Take A Bow."  It's scheduled to debut on May 4th (way too far away!!)

check this out: (and enjoy!!): Take Everything (with Ingrid Michaelson)

 
 
xo, orange
in Biviel black patent leather flats

Fat Tuesday (and probably Wednesday). by violet

Unless you are actually in New Orleans, really the only thing to do on Fat Tuesday and still make it into work on Wednesday is indulge in some of your favorite treats. J. and I threw together a little party. We invited some of our nearest and dearest to bring their favorite and most fatting snacks to share.

I contributed pigs in a blanket.

I know, not exactly gourmet but they are easy to put together (especially on a weeknight with guests arriving at any minute) and they are crowd pleasers.

But there was a parade of foods:

Eric brought subs and beer

Liz brought chips and dip

Chocolate from Kristen

Smitten Kitchen blondies from Kelsey

There's jambalaya in this crazy lady's bag

  

Chef Nick brought shrimp

Sam representing the Golden Arches

An assortment of chips from Orange

The makings of an anti pasta platter from Leah

Cream puffs from Bryan

Lacy with red velvet cake

It also turned out that we had other things to celebrate. Eric proposed to Kenz over Valentine’s Day so we raised a glass to them as well. Congrats to the happy couple.

There is the hardware

I'm off to eat some of that leftover cake....

Violet in Sofft Freeda Bootie – black, ankle booties

Getting Saucy. by violet

As I have mentioned before, there are a few food Web sites that have never let me down. So when Smitten Kitchen featured a recipe that had received raves from Organette as well, I thought, duh, Valentine’s Day dinner.

Since J. and I started dated (three years ago!) we’ve always made dinner at home for Valentine’s Day. Rather than fighting the maddening crowd we take on creations we normally don’t have time to. Last year it was the honeycomb cannelloni.

Beyond the trusted recommendations for this sauce, two other things made it perfect for Valentine’s Day. One, J. loves all things pasta. Forget meat and potatoes - this guy is pasta and tomatoes. Second, there are four ingredients to the sauce. I love recipes like that – makes the shopping list so much easier. Plus, the simplicity highlights great ingredients.

Seriously, that's all you need

• 2 cups whole, peeled, canned plum tomatoes, chopped, with their juices (about one 28-oz. can)
• 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut in half
• Salt, to taste

Combine the tomatoes, their juices, the butter, and the onion halves in a medium saucepan. Add a pinch or two of salt. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, at a very slow but steady simmer, adjusting the heat as necessary, for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free from the tomato. Stir occasionally, mashing any large pieces of tomato with the back of a wooden spoon. Taste and salt as needed. Discard the onion before tossing the sauce with pasta.

Simmering away

I wasn’t really sure what “until droplets of fat float free from the tomato” meant, so I just simmered for 45 minutes and called it done.

The pasta

J. ate a whole plate but said that it wasn’t his favorite tomato sauce. It was too buttery and he prefers it a little more traditional.

Finished product

I loved the sauce. I thought it was rich and complex. I loved not worrying about everything coming together at once. Butter and tomatoes, pretty much a guarantee to be good.  I'd make it again. 

My Valentine

happy v day. by orange

Happy Valentine's Day!!! I hope you are surrounded by lots of love today.

another favorite scene from "My Best Friend's Wedding." really tugs at the heart strings...

best scene ever. by orange.

thanks violet for the inspiration.  check it out...best scene ever.

happy valentines day!! xox

Happy Valentine's. by violet

If you love someone you say it, you say it right then, out loud. Otherwise the moment just... passes you by...

- My Best Friend's Wedding

Resolution Check In. by violet

It’s been a month since I laid out my resolutions for the year. So I thought I would provide a little status update on how things are going so far.

Floss twice a day every day
This has been going great! I’ve been flossing after lunch and before bed. The calendar reminder has been really helpful. Might be TMI but my gums are bleeding way less than they used to ever before. I’m almost looking forward to my next dentist appoint in July.

My collection of floss

Improve Posture
I haven’t been doing any of the exercises that the therapist gave me. But I am working of being more conscious of my posture, especially while I’m sitting at work all day. I’m thinking that I will start to add the exercises to my half marathon training.

Run a 10K in under an hour
Think I’ve got Orange pretty much on board with this one. We are running the Eugene half marathon again in May and I’ve been eyeing a couple of 10Ks in late summer, early fall. I want to give myself at least a few chances to get this done. The only problem is as we’ve started training, I’ve realized that this is going to be even more of a stretch than I thought. It’s going to take some serious hard work.

My trusty running shoes and a fancy new watch (thanks, J.!)

Go to London
Slow progress here as well. J. and I are looking into it but it’s going to be tough to schedule and save up enough money to go. But I’m working on it. I’ve got my eyes on the prize.

Violet, in the Hush Puppies Hattie - black knee high boots with patent trim

Ode to Jersey Shore and Snickers! by orange

The husband has a birthday on the 21st so we are celebrating Jersey Shore style. 

I'm still working on my guidette outfit for the party.  Since deciding on the party theme the husband has been sharing random Shore tidbits the past couple weeks to keep up the inspiration.  If you are a fan of the show - enjoy.  If you haven't had the pleasure of this show, it is absolutely ridiculous, but so funny. 



and...Snooki has a boyfriend - check it out!


orange in franco sarto black suede boots

Super Pizza Rolls. by violet

For many of us the Super Bowl is about the commercial and the snacks. It’s been a long time since I’ve cared about the teams, by the time the Super Bowl rolls around I’m so exhausted by the college football season that I can hardly take any more stress.

I was rooting for the Colts this year, only because I love me some Peyton Manning but my heart wasn’t really in it. But let’s get back to the important thing – the food.

When I saw these stuffed pizza roles I knew that I had found my contribution to the party.

I thought that I would make a meat and a veggie version to please the entire crowd. Here’s what you need:

• 1 roll refrigerated pizza dough I used Pillsbury
• A little bit of flour
• Marinara/pizza sauce
• 2 T grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 T olive oil or melted butter
• 1/2 t garlic powder
• 1 t dried Italian seasoning (I skipped it because it turned out it wasn’t in the back of the cupboard
• Mozzarella cheese
• Pizza toppings of your choice (I did two versions chorizo sausage and pepperoni or mushrooms, peppers and onions)

I browned the sausage and sautéed the mushrooms peppers and onions – separately to make the two versions. Then, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. The Pillsbury dough was super easy; I didn’t even need a rolling pin.

Then I used a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 24 or 25 pieces – depending on how things go.

Eye ball the toppings and cheese in each square, pinch the corners closed. Put them creased-side down in a pie pan. Don’t be afraid to get them close together.

Brush them with the olive oil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning if you have it. Pop it into a 425 degree oven (or whatever the dough says) for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with warm marinara or pizza sauce. Super easy and super yummy. My brain is already thinking of different toppings to try it with. Bonus: They were a huge hit at the party.

Violet, in Jessica Simpson Codys (YES! They stretched and are now comfortable enough to wear all day)
 

journey to the windy city. by orange

About 5 days ago at this time the husband and I were on a plane starting it's decent into the Chicagoland area.  Our time in the Windy City went by fast and we managed to fit quite a bit in!  Check out our journey:

a stop at White Castle for the husband to experience the mini burgers

although it was overcast and snow was on the way, we headed to the top of the Sears Tower (now known as the Willis Tower).  View from the top.

at the Sears Tower, there are glass cut outs on the 103rd floor that you can stand in.  I'm not afraid of heights but when first stepping out my heart did flutter just a bit.

the husband enjoying some Chicago snow/sleet.

we visited Millennium Park where we took some pictures by the "Cloud Gate" - pretty awesome reflection with the city.  The husband had to do his leprechaun jump as I think he is trying to do one in every major place we visit.

our picture from the reflection

we visited the Society of Chicago Architecture building and came across a small scale model of the entire downtown.

on to the Bulls Game, a must for the husband.  We scored Amazing seats off Craigslist the day before - row 4!

along with us came Mat & Shelby (Shelby is taking the picture)

why hello Dwayne Wade - how lovely to see you up close and personal.

Benny the Bull making his floating rounds.

action shot

the reason we went to a Bulls Game - the MJ Statue

but of course, another leprechaun jump had to happen outside the United Center

last but not least, on our way to the airport we tried our first Wisconsin "cheese curds" - delicious.